LA Times Crossword 13 Jun 24, Thursday

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Constructed by: Katie Hale & Sam Acker
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): Play There!

Themed answers are common phrases reinterpreted as venues for playing a sport cited in the corresponding clue:

• 17A Racing venue with a generic speaker sponsorship? : SOUND TRACK
• 24A Basketball arena with a generic pollster sponsorship? : DATA CENTER
• 35A Cricket ground with a generic lift sponsorship? : ELEVATOR PITCH
• 50A Baseball stadium with a generic zoo sponsorship? : SAFARI PARK
• 58A Soccer venue with a generic military sponsorship? : FORCE FIELD

Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 6m 41s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Rock classic with the lyric “Darling, won’t you ease my worried mind” : LAYLA

“Layla” is one of the great rock anthems of the seventies, released by Derek and the Dominos as a single in 1971. It is a masterpiece of composition, with the first half of the song a great vehicle for the guitar-playing talents of Eric Clapton. The second half is a beautifully melodic piano coda (a coda … taking up half the length of the track!). To top things off we have the “unplugged” version recorded by Clapton in 1992, a fabulous and inventive variation on the original.

Layla, you’ve got me on my knees.
Layla, I’m begging, darling please.
Layla, darling, won’t you ease my worried mind.

6 Cardi set piece : CAMI

A camisole (also “cami”) is a sleeveless undershirt worn by women that extends down to the waist. “Camisole” is a French word that we imported into English that ultimately derives from the Latin “camisia” meaning “shirt, nightgown”.

The article of clothing known as a cardigan is named after the British Army Major General James Brudenell, the 7th Earl of Cardigan. Apparently, the cardigan’s design is similar to the knitted wool waistcoat that was worn by officers during the Crimean War in which the Earl of Cardigan played a major role.

10 Bloke : CHAP

“Bloke” is British slang for “fellow”. The etymology of “bloke” seems to have been lost in the mists of time.

20 Sticky pine products : RESINS

Resinous trees have evolved the ability to secrete resins in response to an injury. The resin serves as a barrier, protecting the tree from insects and pathogens that might otherwise exploit the site of the injury.

21 Longtime Yankee manager Joe : TORRE

As a manager, Joe Torre was part of four World Series wins, all of them with the New York Yankees baseball team. Torre is an Italian American who was born in Brooklyn, New York. During the run up (pun intended!) to the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Torre carried the Olympic flame part of the way through Florence in Italy, handing it over to the next runner at the famous Ponte Vecchio. I’d guess that was quite a thrill for him …

22 Some pens : BICS

Société Bic is a company based in Clichy in France. The first product the company produced, more than fifty years ago, was the Bic Cristal ballpoint pen that is still produced today. Bic also makes other disposable products such as lighters and razors.

27 Olympian Katie Ledecky’s country, for short : USA

Katie Ledecky is a swimmer who won her first Olympic gold medal at just 15 years of age, in the 800-meter freestyle. In 2016, Ledecky also became the youngest person to make “Time” magazine’s “Time 100” annual list of most influential people in the American world. Katie’s uncle is Jon Ledecky, an owner of the New York Islanders hockey team.

29 Gravy, on menus : JUS

The French term “au jus” is usually translated as “with its own juice”.

30 “Definitely!” : YES!

31 2017 Emma Watson role : BELLE

Disney’s 2017 romantic fantasy film “Beauty and the Beast” is based on the animated movie the same studio released in 1991. In turn, 1991’s “Beauty and the Beast” was an adaptation of the 18th-century version of the fairy tale “La Belle et la Bête” written by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont. Emma Watson and Dan Stevens play the title roles in the 2017 film, with both performances garnering critical acclaim.

33 Many a reggae artist : RASTA

I must admit that I don’t really know much about Rastafarianism. I do know that a “Rasta”, such as Bob Marley, is a follower of the movement. Some say that Rastafarianism is a religion, some not. I also know that it involves the worship of Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia.

35 Cricket ground with a generic lift sponsorship? : ELEVATOR PITCH

Cricket is the national game of England. The term “cricket” apparently comes from the Old French word “criquet” meaning “goalpost, stick”.

41 Ice sheets : FLOES

An ice floe is a sheet of ice that has separated from an ice field and is floating freely on the surface of the ocean.

43 D’backs, in box scores : ARI

An ice floe is a sheet of ice that has separated from an ice field and is floating freely on the surface of the ocean.

46 Go on the __ : LAM

To be on the lam is to be in flight, to have escaped from prison. “On the lam” is American slang that originated at the end of the 19th century. The word “lam” also means “beat” or “thrash”, as in “lambaste”. So “on the lam” might derive from the phrase “to beat it, scram”.

47 “Gangnam Style” rapper : PSY

“PSY” is the stage name of South Korean rapper Park Jae-sang. PSY became an international star when his 2012 music video “Gangnam Style” went viral on YouTube. That video had over 1 billion views on YouTube in about six months, making it the most viewed YouTube video clip of all time. The title of the song refers to a lifestyle experienced in the Gangnam District of Seoul.

50 Baseball stadium with a generic zoo sponsorship? : SAFARI PARK

“Safari” is a Swahili word meaning “journey” or “expedition”.

53 Ibiza, por ejemplo : ISLA

Ibiza is a Mediterranean island located almost 100 miles off the Spanish coast. It is a very popular tourist destination, largely for its legendary nightlife.

54 __ owl: bird with white feathers : SNOWY

The snowy owl (also “snow owl”) is such a beautiful-looking creature. Itl has plumage that is thick and white, making it well-adapted for life in its native habitat in the Arctic north.

55 Saudi Arabia’s capital : RIYADH

Riyadh is the capital of Saudi Arabia, and is located near the center of the country. The name “Riyadh” translates from Arabic as “the gardens”.

64 “Star Wars” spin-off : ANDOR

The TV show “Star Wars: Andor” serves as a prequel to the 2016 film “Rogue One”, which itself is a prequel to the first “Stars Wars” movie, released in 1977. The title character is Cassian Andor, played by Diego Luna.

Down

1 Wt. units : LBS

The unit of mass that we know today as a pound is descended from the old Roman unit of weight known as a “libra”. That “libra” connection is why we abbreviate “pound” to “lb”. The name “pound” comes from the Latin “pondo” meaning “weight”. Our term “ounce” (abbreviated to “oz.”) comes from the Latin “uncia”, which was 1/12 of a Roman “libra”.

2 One with a platonic partner, for short : ARO

Someone described as aromantic (“aro”, for short) experiences little or no romantic attraction. The opposite of aromanticism is a alloromanticism.

4 Parkway divisions : LANES

The original parkways were scenic highways or roadways in or connecting parks. Sadly, many parkways are a lot less scenic these days, as buildings have sprouted up along the highway’s edges.

6 Rest of the road? : CARNAP

Carjacking (sometimes “carnapping”) is a crime that differs from car theft in that the vehicle’s owner is present when theft occurs.

7 Sailor’s “Halt!” : AVAST!

“Avast” is a nautical term used to tell someone to stop or desist from what they are doing. The word comes from the Dutch “hou vast” meaning “hold fast”.

9 Brief “You got me” : IDK

I don’t know (IDK)

10 Serenade, maybe : CROON

A serenade is a musical performance in the open air, specifically at night. We tend to think of the term applying to a young man serenading his lover from below her window. We imported the word via French from the Italian “serenata” meaning “evening song”, influenced by the Italian “sera” meaning “evening”.

33 “The Natural” protagonist Hobbs : ROY

“The Natural” is an engaging 1984 sports film starring Robert Redford as fictional player Roy Hobbs. The movie is based on a 1952 novel of the same name by Bernard Malamud. MOst of the filming took place in Buffalo, New York. Key locations used were War Memorial Stadium (now demolished) and All-High Stadium. One key element of the storyline is Hobbs’ baseball bat named “Wonderboy”. It was made from the wood of an oak tree that was struck by lightning. Hobbs’ father was standing beside the tree when it was struck, resulting in his death from a heart attack.

34 The “A” of “RHOA”: Abbr. : ATL

The Real Housewives of Atlanta (RHOA)

“The Real Housewives” reality television franchise is incredibly successful, and far reaching. The original show was “The Real Housewives of Orange County”, which started airing in 2006. Just a few of the many, many versions of the show are:

• “The Real Housewives of New Jersey”
• “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City”
• “The Real Housewives of Dubai”
• “The Real Housewives of Sydney” (Australia)
• “Dublin Wives” (Ireland)
• “The Real Housewives of Jersey” (UK)
• “Les Vraies Housewives” (France)
• “The Real Housewives of Toronto” (Canada)

37 Pack (down) : TAMP

To tamp is to pack down tightly by tapping. “Tamp” was originally used specifically to describe the action of packing down sand or dirt around an explosive prior to detonation.

42 __ shanty : SEA

A sea shanty (also “chantey”) is a song sung by sailors, often when they are working away on some repetitive task.

48 Actress Ione : SKYE

Ione Skye is an American actress born in London, England. She is best known for portraying the character Diane Court in the 1989 high school romance movie “Say Anything…”, starring opposite John Cusack. Skye is the daughter of the Scottish folk singer Donovan.

53 Tony winner Menzel : IDINA

Actress and singer Idina Menzel came to public attention when she was a member of the original Broadway cast of “Rent”. She is known on the small screen for playing Shelby Corcoran on the musical TV show “Glee”. On the big screen, her most noted performance was as the voice actor behind Queen Elsa in the Disney hit “Frozen”. It is Menzel who sings the Oscar-winning song “Let It Go” in “Frozen”.

58 Swiftie, to Swift : FAN

A swiftie is a fan of singer Taylor Swift. In 2017, the singer trademarked the term “Swifties”. She has also trademarked the term “Swiftmas”.

59 Joyful cry at a fútbol match : OLE!

In Spanish, a “fútbol” (football, soccer) supporter might shout “olé!” (bravo!).